The night in King's Landing was a hotbed of desire.
For the first time, Lynn's establishments carried a different scent.
A silk merchant, a regular here, was distracted tonight.
The girl beneath him was working hard, but his nose kept twitching involuntarily.
Gone was the usual pungent mix of sweat and cheap powder.
Replacing it was a scent he had never smelled before—a clean, refreshing soapy fragrance.
The scent wasn't strong, but like an invisible cat's paw, it tickled his heart.
After he was done, he inexplicably gave an extra silver stag.
"What... what incense did you use today?"
The girl was stunned for a moment, then revealed a proud smile.
She picked up a small yellowish-white block from the wooden basin by the bed.
"It's a divine item bestowed by Lord Lynn, called soap."
"Divine item?"
The merchant scoffed.
But when he took the soap and smelled that unique scent, his eyes changed.
He saw the girl's arm, usually rough, now glowing with an unusual smoothness.
An inexplicable urge rose in his heart.
"Is this for sale?"
---
In the study, Lynn closed the ledger.
The noise of King's Landing faded from his ears.
His mental focus was sharper than ever.
The trial by combat had been indefinitely postponed. Robert seemed to have found an excuse, but Lynn sniffed something unusual.
The King's physical condition was much worse than he appeared.
It wasn't simple debauchery.
His unnaturally flushed face, cloudy eyes, and fluctuating moods—sometimes explosive, sometimes depressive—all pointed to symptoms of chronic poisoning.
It was time to see the whole board.
Greensight!
Lynn closed his eyes.
This time, he set no specific anchor, simply extending his consciousness toward the Red Keep.
Toward that obese figure currently drunkenly slumped on the Iron Throne.
Hummm—
His consciousness was instantly extracted!
The world transformed into a web of countless threads in his eyes.
He saw Robert.
Rewind frantically!
The scene flew backward.
He saw a royal cupbearer, while pouring wine for Robert, flash a glint of light from under his fingernail.
He saw the cupbearer return to his room, taking a tiny vial, almost indistinguishable from the wall, from a seemingly empty spot.
He saw how that vial passed through one seemingly unrelated hand after another, from a cargo ship at the docks all the way to the Red Keep.
Finally, Lynn's vision crossed the tempestuous waves of the Narrow Sea!
Arriving at a grey island shrouded in thick fog.
Braavos.
A black and white temple stood silently in the center of the island.
Inside the temple, there were no statues of gods, only a massive pool and walls filled with countless human faces.
The House of Black and White!
Headquarters of the Faceless Men!
A person in a black and white robe, face unseen, was handing a small vial to another man whose face was also obscured.
At their feet sat a heavy chest.
Inside, it was filled with golden dragons.
No, those weren't Westerosi dragons.
Lynn saw the unique square stamp on the coins.
Those were coins minted by the Iron Bank of Braavos!
His spirit traced the chest's path backward again!
This time, the vision pierced through the entire continent of Westeros!
Finally, it froze on a castle dyed golden-red by the setting sun.
Casterly Rock!
In the deepest study of the castle.
A tall, stern-faced old man with thinning golden hair was throwing a loan document from the Iron Bank into the fireplace.
Tywin Lannister!
Lynn snapped his eyes open.
Well played, Tywin!
Well played, Lannister!
This old fox never counted on Cersei surviving the trial by combat!
He didn't hesitate to spend a fortune capable of bankrupting a ducal house, borrowing from the Iron Bank just to buy Robert's life!
This poison, named "Strangler" or something similar but slower, was colorless and odorless.
Once in the blood, it slowly destroyed bodily functions, creating the illusion of natural decline and death.
Even Grand Maester Pycelle would find absolutely nothing wrong!
Once Robert "died of illness," Joffrey would rightfully ascend the Iron Throne. Tywin, as the King's grandfather, would become Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, ruling in all but name!
By then, repaying that astronomical debt to the Iron Bank using the taxes of the entire Seven Kingdoms wouldn't be difficult.
A perfect closed loop.
A ruthlessly brilliant move!
If Lynn hadn't cheated with his powers, he truly wouldn't have discovered the plot.
After all, the Faceless Men were renowned worldwide, their assassination methods impossible to guard against.
But...
The corners of Lynn's mouth curled up slowly.
This trump card that could decide the fate of the Seven Kingdoms has been seen by me.
Old Lion, you play a good game.
From the Greensight, he learned Robert would "die peacefully" in two years.
This meant Lynn had two years to develop.
That was plenty of time.
---
The next day, news exploded among the men of King's Landing.
All of Lynn's establishments had raised their prices collectively.
Doubled!
This was robbery!
Countless drunks in taverns cursed loudly.
They swore never to step foot in those gold-swallowing caves again.
However, come nightfall, the entrances to Lynn's establishments were as crowded as ever, even livelier than before.
"Have you heard? The Mermaid on the Street of Silk, the girls inside are like new people!"
"Not just the Mermaid! I went to the Rose Garden on Eel Alley yesterday. By the Seven, the girls there are cleaner than my wife!"
A jewelry merchant, just coming out, had a look of endless reminiscence on his face.
"That smell... tsk tsk... not powder, but an indescribable clean scent. It goes straight to your head! I went three times in one day!"
Habit was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Once men got used to that clean touch and refreshing scent, they could no longer tolerate the filth and stench elsewhere.
The louder they cursed, the quicker they paid.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of his manse, Lynn began the second step of his plan.
He had Steward Robb package the finely made soaps in the most luxurious brocade boxes.
Each soap came with its own beautiful story, handwritten by Sansa.
For example, the pink rose soap came with a parchment inside the box that read:
[Highgarden Love: Legend has it that in the homeland of the Knight of Flowers, maidens bathe with the first dew of morning mixed with rose petals. Their skin becomes smooth as silk, emitting a fragrance that enchants every knight.]
"Will... will this really sell?"
Sansa looked at the flowery stories she had written, cheeks burning slightly, feeling inexplicably ashamed.
"Princess."
Lynn looked at Myrcella, who had thoroughly fallen in love with bathing.
"Tomorrow, take Sansa and Arya to the Red Keep to play with the noble ladies you are close with."
"Remember, let them smell the scent on you."
"When they ask."
Lynn smiled suddenly.
"Give them this brocade box as a gift."
---
Night fell again.
Lynn sat in his study, looking at the astonishing accounts presented by Steward Robb.
In just one day, daily profits had nearly tripled.
Just then, a faint voice came from the door.
"Ser Lynn, you are truly a born merchant. It's a pity you aren't one by trade."
Varys.
The ubiquitous Spider stood there, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.
He looked as harmless as ever, hands in sleeves, a gentle smile on his face.
"You have leveraged the desires of all King's Landing."
Lynn closed the ledger without changing expression.
"Lord Varys visiting late at night isn't here to discuss business, is he?"
Varys's smile deepened.
He walked slowly to Lynn, lowering his voice.
But his tone carried a gravity.
"I have observed that His Grace the King's health is failing day by day."
"If I am not mistaken, there seems to be something more intoxicating than wine hidden in his cup."
Varys's bottomless eyes stared dead at Lynn.
"My lovely little birds have flown to every corner of the Red Keep."
"Yet they cannot smell a trace of that thing."
He paused, his tone becoming meaningful.
"Ser Lynn, you always seem to discover things we cannot."
"Can you tell me what you have seen?"
---